The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna (Review)

Genre:	Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy,  Thriller
Publication.Date	August 28th 2012
Pages:	432
Published By:	Balzer + Bray |
Website	Sangu Mandanna |
	The Lost Girl - Goodreads
My review copy:	A copy of the book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Where to get:

Eva’s life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination—an echo. Made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, she is expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her “other”, if she ever died. Eva studies what Amarra does, what she eats, what it’s like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.

But fifteen years of studying never prepared her for this.

Now she must abandon everything she’s ever known—the guardians who raised her, the boy she’s forbidden to love—to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive.

What Eva finds is a grief-stricken family; parents unsure how to handle this echo they thought they wanted; and Ray, who knew every detail, every contour of Amarra. And when Eva is unexpectedly dealt a fatal blow that will change her existence forever, she is forced to choose: Stay and live out her years as a copy or leave and risk it all for the freedom to be an original. To be Eva.

From debut novelist Sangu Mandanna comes the dazzling story of a girl who was always told what she had to be—until she found the strength to decide for herself.

(Goodreads)

What is this power the dead have over the ones they leave behind? It's strange and beautiful and frightening, this deathless love that human beings continue to feel for the ones they've lost.

But the most unsettling dreams are the ones of hourglasses and spiders crawling up the glass. I'm always trapped in the glass and fine white sand begins to fill it up. And I know that I'm going to be smothered if I can't break out of the hourglass in time.

"What does your heart want?" It's the question the woman with sad eyes asks me in dreams. I wonder if she knows the answer. There's such sorrow in her voice, as if she knows what I want and knows already that those things are starts in the sky, entirely out of reach, no matter how high on my toes I stand and stretch for them.

     A breathtaking, illuminating but never didactic, emotionally accessible (to both young adults and adults alike) tale of life, love, and what makes us human. The Lost Girl is an ambitious, unexpectedly deep, mentally stimulating debut novel, and one with a beating heart. In this skilfully plotted and intense sci-fi thriller (with subtle romantic elements) Sangu Mandanna offers a striking and disquieting look at a strange world of the future. A world of Weavers, echos, and hunters, filled with grief, sorrow, danger and never-ending questions about the essence of humanity, self-worth and identity. 

     Eva is an echo. She was created by people called "Weavers" as an exact copy of a girl named Amarra. She lives with her guardian and mother-figure, Mina Ma, in a small cabin in England's countryside. Her life is not her own. It never was. She's the property of the Weavers, made to replace Amarra in case something happens to her. Every day she is forced to follow a very strict set of rules, only do what she's told to do, never step out of line. The smallest misstep could result in a trial and -- inevitably -- her destruction. She has to learn how to be Amarra. Through weekly journal entries, she studies Amarra's life and personality, learns about her family, friends, and boyfriend, memorizes every little thing that Amarra did, saw, thought. If anything happens to the other girl, Eva is expected to step in and be Amarra. An expensive replacement, a back-up plan, a clone - that's all she is and all she'll ever be. And then one day it happens. Amarra dies in a car crash and Eva is sent to take her place. Can she really leave everything behind and be the Amarra that everyone expects her to be? For Eva, failure is not an option.

     Eva's story is one of the most tragic and absolutely heartbreaking ones I have read this year, possibly ever. Her life is practically meaningless and she lives with the knowledge that a smallest mistake on her part could end it all for her. She's constantly molded to be someone she's not. Her personality is so unlike Amarra's, she is a totally different girl, with entirely different mind-set, dreams, and hopes. She compares herself to Frankenstein's monster, an abomination, an unwanted and unloved experiment. Worthless, broken, rejected by everyone, undesirable. And yet she's so full of life and passion at the same time. All the hardships she faces and all the insults thrown in her face can never dim the light in her soul. She's just an echo, but in so many ways she is more human than all the other characters in this book. Thoughtful, understanding, gentle, graceful and compassionate, she's a wonderful character that I grew to love and admire. 

     Sangu Mandanna's writing style was devastatingly beautiful. Her words were flying off the pages, delicate and mesmerizing as butterflies, and they really spoke to me. The narrative voice was so full of raw emotions, so descriptive and sensual, I quickly became addicted to it and kept on craving more, and more, and more... Every page of this novel was infused with deep thoughts, inspiring observations, and intelligent reflections about life, relationships, death, grief, and love. Mandanna's poetic storytelling elevated this already exciting and intriguing story to a whole new level of gorgeous. 

     Death of a family member, and the grief caused by it, are both recurring themes in literature. It's never easy to talk, or even think, about death. It's something that deeply disturbs, but also fascinates us. Sangu Mandanna created a world where people can trick death by creating echos of themselves and their loved ones. Her book raises many important questions: Is it acceptable to clone a person just because we're too weak or too selfish to say goodbye to them? Are echos just shadows on the wall, or are they human beings that - once created - deserve to live, laugh, and love just like anyone else? Do we get to control someone's life just because we created them? What if you had the chance to create an echo of someone important to you? Would you do it? This novel is full of hard-hitting existential and moralistic themes. It's a mind-bender and a thrill ride, and one of the best ones of its kind!

     If you're looking for a book that will thrill you, move you, and make you think - look no further! The Lost Girl is the book you need. I'm 100% sure you'll love it!

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About the Author

Evie is the Blogger behind Bookish. She enjoys reading many different genres, especially YA, Paranormal, Contemporary Fiction and Fantasy.

She loves talking to authors and is always happy to welcome them for interviews, and guest posts. She also likes spreading the love for awesome books and  chatting with fellow book-worms.

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